Goose, imprint male gyr/saker

[Falcon Boy]

Bill, going to check my PM's now.




Day 21-

Goose didn’t eat much at all last night.

6am- I woke up to a big surprise, Goose was still sleeping. So I snuck out of the room and got his food and put it in while he was asleep. He woke up shortly after, but did not eat, so I went back to sleep. I woke up at 730 to find 2 castings in his tank, obviously from his first two feedings on Wednesday. What a relief to know everything is in order! He was a bit vocal after that, made a little noise for about 5min, then saw the food and ate, but not very much, I’d be surprised at 1/3 of a crop. After eating he started walking around and stretching is wings and squawking while doing it. I finally got my butt out of bed and brought his tank into the computer room so I could type up what happened, and once we were in the computer room he was silent. He has peeped a few times when I put my hand in but quiets right down within 10 seconds. Although this morning is not going as well as last night, it is by far a welcome relief over yesterday morning.

His overnight growth is amazing. I feel like I wake up looking at a new bird everyday. He is taller and fatter than yesterday, I wish I could convey it some way other than pictures as they just don’t do the growth justice!

830am- Cleaned the imprint tank and noticed his crop was empty, and he was quite vocal as well. Even though the food was on the other side of the tank from him, he didn’t go to it to eat. I hooded him and he screamed/dodged, etc the whole time. Hooding is a serious issue, and I’m contemplating leaving it until he is near hard penning so there is at least some chance of being able to hood him. At this rate its nothing but negative association even though he’s fed right afterward. He only ate one or two bites and then stopped vocalizing and eating. Weird, I’ve never seen him not crop up before today. He has been more vocal since earlier this morning, probably because I had to move him out of the tank to clean it, so I’m hoping it’s just the stress of moving rather than real screaming. I have noticed he is earlier in the morning than evening, which is kind of weird.

Quick note, still noisy at 845. I think it’s a fear issue from the hood because both today and yesterday it didn’t start until the hood went on poorly.

930- Ate about ¾ crop in front of the dogs on the kitchen floor

1050- Ate some more, about ¾ crop again while my little bro’s were playing video games [yelling and screaming]. Its defiantly fear chirping that he does because he’s been silent since. When I stick my hand in he makes a little noise but quiets down after a bit. By tonight he should be completely silent again I’d think.

1220- Goose ate a full crop of rat in front of 2bros, mom and dogs on the floor of the kitchen. He got a bit vocal while I when I reached in and then realized that there was food on the other side so he ran over there to eat. He had been hungry for about 10min [vocal] but I guess he didn’t realize the food was there.

The rat is defiantly sticking in him a lot better than chicks. It’s now 3pm and he still has a partial crop. I think I have 6 rats left which make for about 1.1 feedings each, so over the next few days I should be able to give him a combination of rats and chicks until the quail arrive.

He has been absolutely silent except for a peep when I scared him once [I seem to be good at that]. He hasn’t had an issue with the dogs or anything either which is good.

630pm- Goose went a really long time without eating, by far the longest yet. He is eating rat as I type this. He even tried to use his foot to rip a piece, a good sign! He used his foot one other time today to hold down an Anglo-Indian hood I let him play with. He was generally quiet, vocalized for maybe 3-5 minutes total the entire time between feedings. He ate about half a crop of food.

His feathers have come in a good bit today. They are easily double the length of yesterday. A picture of them is below. I have never seen a bird this color before, it’s a very rich very dark chocolate brown. I wonder if the rest of him will turn out like this. Time will tell I suppose.

One thing that is weird is his crop seems to remain the same size, while his body increases. He seems to eat about the same amount of food.

He is now vocalizing, perhaps because he is bored. He is flapping and walking a bit around his tank. I’m taking him downstairs to go see more people, and in a few minutes I’m taking him to a BBQ where there will be a lot of people.
About the hooding, I am going to not hood him for a few days and see what happens. This is at the advice of someone who has done more than 30 imprints, so I’m going to trust their advice. If that fails, then I am going to try an Anglo-Indian hood. If that fails than I will try in the dark and slowly make it lighter. If that fails too, then I will use the strobe light method.

8pm- Went to the BBQ from 7-9pm. Right when we got there we were bombarded with people [go figure] mostly kids who wanted to touch Goose. So everyone pet his back and he did pretty well. After about 15-20min he made a few peeps then was quiet again. There were probably 100 people there, also dogs, loud music, and of course loud kids. At 8pm he ate about half a crop of rat. He fell asleep around 830 and slept with his head behind his wing, a new thing for today. He did it briefly yesterday, but not for more than 5min. Today he did it for at least 30minutes.

10pm- Cropped up again. Goose has been silent since we got back. He started screaming a little bit while I was petting him and then he decided he was hungry. If I am petting him and then he goes over to the food, is that a food association? Someone please help me on that one! He was vocal for 2-3minutes after feeding, but that has become his norm. I think he just gets excited and wants to tell the world. Now he is playing with the hood I leave in there.

Reflections on the day- Other than this morning with the hooding incident, everything went pretty well. He was silent after his fear from the hooding incident diminished. He got a good amount of socialization at the BBQ tonight and he performed great there, taking everything in stride and even eating there with music blasting and kids running around. Dogs would come up and sniff he box and he would bend over to play with his hood.

I did have him show the first signs of boredom today, which just goes to show that Erik was right about needing tons of socialization. I gave him some paper and a hood to play with and he quieted down. Tomorrow I will take him to the pet store or something so he can see people in mass quantity again. Per Erik’s advice, I will also start feeding off the lure outdoors and not in his box.

As for hooding, I have decided to wait a day or two and let him calm down about it. I will judge his reaction in a few days. If he still doesn’t take it well, I will try putting some food in the hood to get him to voluntarily eat out of it. If that doesn’t work I’ll try a different hood, perhaps an Anglo-Indian which offers more headroom. If that fails, I will start in the dark and slowly change to lighter environments. I am pretty sure his noise in the morning is due to fear of the hood and resentment of my hands after hooding him. It usually takes him 2-3 hours to get over it. Tomorrow shall tell the tale if it is fear of the hood or if there is something else going on.

Physically Goose is growing a lot. I love watching the transformation. I go to bed and wake up with a completely different bird. Today his feathers are coming out a lot more. He also can stand for longer periods, and walk a few more steps. He is physically larger than yesterday and even started sleeping with his head behind his wing for longer periods of time. He also used his foot to hold down food and a hood today for the first time. I actually got him using his foot for the first time on video, which is below.

Goose’s eating habits today were strange. He didn’t really take full crops like usual or eat nearly as much. Perhaps it has to do with casting two pellets this morning, or maybe he just wasn’t as hungry. I do know the rat sticks on him longer than the chicks so that can influence it, but there were a few times where he’d walk over, pick up a piece of food, then drop it and go do something else.

I will end today’s log with a question for those with more experience. A few times I have been petting him while there is food in his tank, and while petting him he decides its food time. Is this creating a food association? If so, any ideas how to prevent it?

One last quick note, I will leave food in till I go to bed and update in the morning if he ate anything on tomorrows log.


Check out the color of the feathers


Size comparison


Flapping


Using foot for the first time

[`Chris L.]

As for hooding, I have decided to wait a day or two and let him calm down about it. I will judge his reaction in a few days. If he still doesn’t take it well, I will try putting some food in the hood to get him to voluntarily eat out of it. If that doesn’t work I’ll try a different hood, perhaps an Anglo-Indian which offers more headroom. If that fails, I will start in the dark and slowly change to lighter environments. I am pretty sure his noise in the morning is due to fear of the hood and resentment of my hands after hooding him. It usually takes him 2-3 hours to get over it. Tomorrow shall tell the tale if it is fear of the hood or if there is something else going on.

Noah, I think you are making the right call on hooding. i feel he was starting to put your hand and that hood together. That would be a bad habit to break so early on in his development.

About the food behavior while petting him.. I am just throwing a guess out here so dont hold me to it, I dont think you are creating one. I think it is a social behavior you are seeing. He enjoys your company and with him wanting to eat while you are there is a good thing, its going to happen in the field the same way. As you approach and give him praise on his kill he will start to pull and break in. [smilie=dontknow.gif] just throwing my thought out there

Rats are a great source of nutrtion.Glad to see you feeding some hardier meals.

he is growing like a weed. keep us posted, great log your are keeping

[Falcon Boy]

Thanks for the response Chris, from the people who have responded everyone seems to think it will be ok.

Here is a section of my log so far today i'd like to try and get some advice on-

This morning he has been quieter, although not silent. I have noticed a huge difference in noise type though. He has a fear chirp which can be seen in the video yesterday. He does that when he is hungry as well. When he is bored he lets out a noise that sounds like a goose, pretty ironic since I named him Goose well before I heard it. It seems like it takes him 2-3 hours in the morning to remember that people are ok. For the first feeding he fear chirped then ate and then chirped again after. It seems to be his habit, which is not good. He is silent between feedings I’d say 80-90% of the time, but about 10minutes before he eats [even when food is available 24/7] he will start chirping and he always is a bit noisy after he eats for 2-3minutes as well. Whether this is true screaming or not I do not know, I hope someone can provide some insight?



**EDIT**

Well while talking with Aaron I think we were able to figure out the screaming. Even though he had not seen me place or remove the food, I would sit right next to him, or walk around him, stand over him while he eats. What does a parent bird do? Um, EXACTLY that. That explains the screaming issues. I hope to solve it by standing 10-15ft away while he eats from now on. Can I have my 4 days back for a re-do? *kicking myself in the ass*

[Falcon Boy]

Sorry for double post

Day 22-

Goose didn’t eat anything else last night.

7am- I woke up late just to find Goose still sleeping. Since he has been sleeping when I wake up at 6am each day I take it to mean I can sleep in a bit longer, so I’m going to start morning feedings at 7am from now on. He woke up as I placed the food in his tank, good thing I used the blocker even though he was sleeping! The blocker did however scare him I think and he screamed for 2-3min, but generally he does that every time he wakes up, and he was hungry so nothing out of the ordinary. He also cast this morning. He didn’t see the food for some reason so I started touching him while he was preening. He went to do his back and then saw the food and ran over and cropped up.

After he ate we both went back to sleep. He woke up and got bored around 913am, 2 minutes before my alarm was set to go off [go figure]. He had food left but wasn’t interested so I’m assuming he was bored. I put some pants on and brought him downstairs, where he soon quieted down [2-3min max].

1020am- Goose started squeaking a bit, so I loaded up the lure and brought it to the front yard. When the lure was ready I brought Goose out. I tipped his box slowly so it was on its side and he could see the food. He had been fear chirping [I think I’m slowly starting to somewhat understand the different noises he makes now] since I picked up the tank and he continued this. He didn’t walk out to the lure after about 10 minutes so I gently lifted him up and put him next to it. He chirped until he saw the food then started eating. I stood up and he started chirping again, I guess he just isn’t socialized enough, just goes to show I haven’t been doing enough. I continued to walk around him and over him as he ate. He chirped for probably 5-7minutes without eating, then just ate it and quieted down. When he was done he started chirping again for a few minutes then he just laid down in the grass.

While I cleaned the imprint tank I had my mom watch him in the front yard. He didn’t do anything except sit there and sleep. Oh yea there was a train going by less than 100yrds from where he was eating, not sure if he saw it but he defiantly heard it. Once the imprint tank was clean I gently put him back in [he screamed of course till he was back in]. At this point he isn’t walking well enough to go in and out of the box readily. He can take 3-4 steps but he does it seemingly randomly.

This morning he has been quieter, although not silent. I have noticed a huge difference in noise type though. He has a fear chirp which can be seen in the video yesterday. He does that when he is hungry as well. When he is bored he lets out a noise that sounds like a goose, pretty ironic since I named him Goose well before I heard it. It seems like it takes him 2-3 hours in the morning to remember that people are ok. For the first feeding he fear chirped then ate and then chirped again after. It seems to be his habit, which is not good. He is silent between feedings I’d say 80-90% of the time, but about 10minutes before he eats [even when food is available 24/7] he will start chirping and he always is a bit noisy after he eats for 2-3minutes as well. Whether this is true screaming or not I do not know, I hope someone can provide some insight?

1230pm- Tried to feed him outside but within the 2 minutes it took me to get him to the lure there were ants everywhere. He vocalized the whole way out and back in. Once back in I put the lure with food back in his tank. I got a clip of his scream example. In the clip I touched him to get him to do the noise, but his scream the rest of the time is the same. Is this food begging or is this fear screaming? Ate partial crop.

Note-Well while talking with Aaron I think we were able to figure out the screaming. Even though he had not seen me place or remove the food, I would sit right next to him, or walk around him, stand over him while he eats. What does a parent bird do? Um, EXACTLY that. That explains the screaming issues. I hope to solve it by standing 10-15ft away while he eats from now on. Can I have my 4 days back for a re-do? *kicking myself in the ass*

245pm- YES YES YES! We finally did something right! WAHOO! While Goose was sleeping I stick a plate of rat in there [the lure was covered with ants from outside earlier]. He woke up, made two small peeps, then he started eating. Finally something went to plan! My brothers are about 5ft from him; I'm about 10ft from him. After eating he made his usual 2-3 minutes [not constant, just vocalization here and there], stretched his wings, and sat down. Everything went to plan, I am stoked!

430pm- Another textbook feeding! I put the food in while Goose was sleeping. He woke up just kind of laid there for a bit. Then he got up and ate, without a single peep. Damnit he just pooped on the left over food. Anyway he didn’t make a single peep after eating either. This is how it’s supposed to be!

530pm- Goose started screaming, I thought he was bored, so I tossed him a few things to play with, a lure [not his] and a piece of scrap leather. He played for a bit then went over and ate 1/3 crop of rat. Goose was silent afterwards.

745pm- Goose cropped up. He didn’t issue a peep before eating. During the time between feedings, he spent a lot of the time awake. He did get bored for a bit but I tossed him a piece of paper and he played with it for bit then laid back down. After eating he let out one high pitch squeak then was silent. I can already see an improvement in noise volume from standing further away while he eats. I think we are finally getting on the right track, although I have not been feeding him outside because my yard seems to be infested with ants no matter where I go. I tried 2-3 different spots today [side, front yards] and every time I brought Goose out there were ants all over the lure.

1130pm- Goose cropped up. One small vocalization before eating, none after.

Reflections on the day- All I can stay is wow. We went from bad behavior to text book good behavior in a matter of hours. What else can I ask for?

This morning he was a rowdy little guy, less than normal screaming but still a bit vocal. I spoke with Aaron around mid-day about screaming and we figured out I was standing too close and hovering over the bird, creating a parent-like bond which was increasing the screaming around food times. The proposed solution was to stand 8-10 feet away while Goose eats. That way I am around, but not hovering over like a parent bird would. Within a few feedings, Goose made no noise before his meal [feeding before final feeding] and was down to one tiny squeak after his meal, and that was just because I came to sit down. Between meals he was very good, especially at the end of the day. All I can say is his behavior this afternoon/evening was nothing short of fantastic, especially compared to other days.

I had intended to take him to a pet store today to sit outside and watch the dogs/cars/people pass by, but it ended up raining so that was a no-go. He was however in the mix of things when my brothers decided to yell and scream at the TV playing videogames. He slept right through it, and when he woke up he ate.

Growth wise his head looks bigger today, that was the first thing I noticed when I woke up. He has been walking around and flapping his wings quite regularly. His feathers came out more but not as much as yesterday. Other than that, there not much else to note.

[Falcon Boy]

Day 23-

8am- Goose ate this morning. No vocalizations before, but he did fear chirp as I moved his tank down into the kitchen. I was scrambling to get ready to work so I left him enough food till I got home. While I was gone he was left in front of the TV.

2pm- Goose has no crop but isn’t hungry. I just cleaned his imprint tank. When I got home he screamed for a few minutes upon seeing me but calmed down within 2-3 minutes. He fussed as usual during the transfer out of his tank when I had to clean it. About a crop or two size portion is missing from the food bowl so he did eat sometime while I was gone. Other than that he seems no worse for the wear, no more vocal than any other morning, in fact a bit less than yesterday even.

His feathers are really starting to come in now. He is starting to get the V down his back. His tail feathers all look like little paintbrushes, no real feather out yet but you can see it is just starting to come in. He has a row or two above his tail coming in at along the same pace. He is using his feet more and more everyday and his body is really getting big.

Equipment wise, I plan on putting anklets on him within the next week. I am going to run up to Frederick to borrow my friend’s grommet pliers as mine met a fate with a train after screwing up too often. I should probably invest in a new pair but my friend will let me use his. Hood wise, I am getting a size 7 as well as size 8. That will leave me with hoods sized 6.5,7,8, and 8.5. If he ends up wearing a 7.5 I’ll be a little peeved but that is life and I’m half expecting him to need a 7.5 because I have luck like that. Worst case it adds to my hood collection which is getting quite large [I’m not complaining].

745pm- I just got back from 2-3 hours out with Goose. We went to the local Petsmart and walked around for a bit. I would put him on the ground as people asked questions, touched him, etc. He did pretty well, vocalized a bit but hushed. After about an hour and a half I took him out front where we watched the cars pass and more people gathered around to talk. I must have said “he’s a falcon not a chicken” at least 25 times… that gets old quick. Either way it was a great experience with him eating small bits 2-3 times during the time we were there. I also spent about an hour outside with him and the dogs before I left just around the yard. He was quite vocal today, but I think it was mainly fear as we did a lot of things he isn’t used to.

8pm- Cropped up without making a peep before or after the feeding. Didn’t even peep when I carried his imprint tank upstairs [he ALWAYS has peeped when I carry the tank around]. Looks like we may still be on the right track.

11pm- Goose just cropped up about ½-3/4 crop. He has been silent until now, but he just waged a war with the Astroturf, footing, biting, screaming, and flapping at it. At this point it looks like the turf won, but it was fun to watch! He’s finally getting some power in those feet.

Reflections on the day- Being that I was at work most of the morning, I can’t comment too much on that. I do know when I came home he was vocal as he usually is in the morning, but really no worse for the wear.

We did have a few adventures today. We spent about an hour outside. He screamed for the first half an hour every time a bug moved but he calmed down and was fine with the dogs coming up and sniffing him. He did pretty well at Petsmart for the 2-3 hours we were there, not vocalizing much and eating in front of large groups of people, dogs, and cars going by less than 10feet away. All in all, it was a pretty good day of socialization.

Growth wise he is getting very large. He is also starting to use his feet, and as mentioned earlier got in a fight with the Astroturf. It was funny to watch him foot the ground, stomp, and bite it. His feathers are really growing and probably close to half an inch now.

In the end, I view today as another good day down on record. He was pretty good when I got back from being gone, and I don’t think he has been food begging. I think his screaming has been from fear [entering room, new people, cars, etc]. I think we are on the right track so far.

[`Chris L.]

I must have said “he’s a falcon not a chicken” at least 25 times… that gets old quick.

[smilie=BangHead.gif] .. that is great.

[Falcon Boy]

Day 24-

915am- Goose was quiet this morning so I went a bit longer until his feeding. Once I moved his tank he started screaming like a banshee even though he had food in front of him. Once moved it took about 2-3 minutes for him to start eating. He ate about 1/2crop then started screaming and fighting the floor. It is really funny to watch him foot and bite the floor. I think all his dreaming and such during the night makes him vocal in the morning as it seems to be like this every day. I don’t think it is a food beg because he isn’t looking at me or anything, he just looks around and screams. He is also stand up, stretching, flapping, and biting the floor this morning, he’s very animated.

Goose was vocal on and off for about an hour after feeding. Nothing really in particular I can think of, I am thinking it was boredom screaming because after about 1/2hr I tossed in a piece of paper and that old hood I made and he hushed up.

1145am- Ate about half crop. Was silent before, made a few noises after while he ran about and flapped. He stood for almost a minute strait, he’s getting better! I am not sure why he is so vocal today; I’m hoping it’s a fluke thing. There is a video I took right after this feeding I will post.

Went to lunch with my dad so Goose was home alone from about 12-1pm. He was no worse for the wear when I got home. I left him in the computer room with a random mix of music on.

I worked from 5-10pm. Before I left he was silent and ate small bits of food. Apparently while I was gone he ate around 645pm and then he scarfed down another crop full at 1030pm when I got home. He was loud after eating for about 5-10minutes flapping and stomping up a storm. Then he quieted down and just preened for about 45minutes. I expect he will stay awake for another 15-20 minutes then go to sleep for the night.

Reflections on the day- Today was… interesting. I didn’t really learn too much but rather had to scratch my head and think. The bird is always rowdy in the morning it seems, that much I’ve figured out. He also tends to be noisy after eating, I guess he gets excited and he normally romps around for a good 5-10 minutes screaming on and off flapping and walking.

Goose is really getting big. His V on his back is very defined now and feathers keep on growing. I’m really tired and there isn’t much else to note, so I’m done for the day.

[Falcon Boy]

Day 25-

7am- I woke up at 7am this morning and Goose was awake. When he saw I was up he started screaming. I assumed it was because of food, so I got it ready. I snuck it into his nest box by putting a little wood dowel in there for play with at the same time while having a rag cover the food dish. I put the dowel on his other side and while he footed that, I slipped the rag off the food, and viola both items were in his nest bowl. He kept screaming though and did not eat, so I am assuming it was boredom screaming. So I put another old Arab hood in there for him to play with or tear apart, as well as brought him downstairs to where 2 of my brothers were getting ready to for school. As of 8am he was quiet and still had not eaten.

1130am- Just had Goose out back for the past hour and a half while I cleaned his tank and then we just laid around for a bit with the dogs. Goose still screams at the dog a bit but not as much as he used to. He is getting better around him. He doesn’t mind unless the dog comes right up to him and sniffs him. Goose was vocal the first 15-20min or so doing his “goose” sounding voice. I finally looked up [where he had been looking the whole time] and saw our local hag female red-shoulder kiting right above us. I yelled a bit and she drifted about 100 yards away. Pretty gutsy to do that when I was 15ft from Goose! The RS was about 200-300ft up. Once she drifted off Goose was quiet except for a few peeps at the dog and any vultures that came over. He is a hoot outdoors, he walks around in the grass stalking leaves, and when the wind blows them to him he grabs them in his mouth.

1-230pm Goose was home alone in front of the TV while I ran to the gym.

Goose was silent when I got home and stayed that way. I jumped in the car and ran up to Chris’s place, it was time for Goose’s anklets. After a lot of screaming and a little finagling, I got his anklets on, and he didn’t resent me for it. When I got home he laid in the front yard for a good hour or hour and a half while the kids and their friends washed the cars.

Goose has been generally quiet today, which is good. We spent a good amount of time outdoors, and Goose got some quail into his system. He probably watched 4-5 trains go by 20 yards away through the trees, didn’t even look after the first time.

1045pm- Goose has been eating about ¼ of a crop on and off throughout the night. He has also been completely silent since I got home and brought him inside… it’s been great to say the least!

Reflections on the day- Last night I decided to reintroduce the nest box. He ended up not pooping in it, which was nice. He tends to jump out of it though [well more like face-plant] but he can’t get back into it… but he seems comfortable. Tonight I will leave food in overnight and see if it makes a difference noise wise, that way he can eat right when he gets up instead of waiting for me.

Today went pretty well. He got his anklets on, which he most certainly didn’t like, but he got over it very quickly. We spent a good portion of time today outdoors outside the nest box. He would jump out of his little nest and lie around in the grass and sometimes walk after bugs. He also ate and then later slept outdoors in front of about 10 kids running around washing a car [unfortunately not mine…].

Goose is really getting quite large, as you can see in today’s pictures. His feathers look to be coming in as a dark Saker and they are still growing at an incredible rate. His feet are finally getting some strength which Chris found out, although they are not terribly strong yet. The blue color is becoming really apparent in his feet, I love it.

Overall it was a good day, and there isn’t really anything else to note other than the car ride was a total of about 1.5-2 hours to and from Chris’s house.



oO a camera


Come here fly...


Feather growth



With the dog


Goose and I [he even smiled ]

[wesleyc6]

Good job Noah. Hang in there! Sounds like things are starting to go right now. He looks like he is really growing. I was thinking back to when I told you my falcon was quiet. That isn't completely true. He was quiet when he feathered out. He screamed like a banshee when he was "killin" his toys as a pre hard penned falcon. LOL. Anything red or fuzzy he would scream and foot. I always wondered if one of the kids whacked him with something red like a ball. He also seemed a little frustrated if he couldn't be mobile when he wanted to. If you bird is walking some, then it probably is time to make his "box" larger. Food screaming tends to be loud and continuous from the birds I have seen that screamed. I wouldn't take any chances with food though and he would always have it. What could it hurt? If it is food, then not having it could really louse things up for ya. Once he was on the block though, he was almost 100% silent. He did make sweet sounds occaisionally, but they were soft. I know you hear lots of stuff, but two things I think almost all people agree on is to avoid hunger and to socialize(w/0 scaring the mess out of him) Don't let his legs flail and scoop him out to sit in your lap and all. Socializing an imprint is different than socializing a passage if you know what I mean. Just some thoughts.

Falcons can really scream when they are mad. Nolan and Ozzie both did and one was an imprint and one was a hacked bird. Neither did I raise, but if they got mad, they let you know.

Ozzie was a gyr/prairie and he sounded like a goose too.

[Falcon Boy]

\ I was thinking back to when I told you my falcon was quiet. That isn't completely true.

LOL i seem to have a lot of people telling me that now after i flipped out a few days in a row [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

This morning he has been standing and walking almost all morning, looks like its time for the kiddie pool! I'll pick one up today if i can find a store with one [walmart here i come...]

Thanks for the kudos, much appreciated. Things are starting to look up, he hasnt even pulled on his anklets so at this point i'll keep doing what seems to be working and we should be hard penned in no time [smilie=banana.gif]

[wesleyc6]

Yeah, silent is mostly the result and not the journey, but of course, things learned on the journey can be trouble in the result. My bird made little noise, and never a noise everyday at the same time. That is the only thing that worries me about Goose a little, but you also have to know what the breeder did too.

[Falcon Boy]

Day 26-

930am- Well my alarm didn’t go off, I guess the power burped last night. Goose was silent until he noticed I was awake, and then he started screaming a bit. After about 10 minutes and he had some food in him he quiet down.

Around 10-1015am I took him outdoors and we were outside for about half hour while I cleaned his tank. I would have stayed out longer but I had to drive my brother to school. This morning I noticed Goose was standing and walking everywhere instead of sitting, so I picked up a kiddy pool as his new housing arrangement. I will put his nest in the middle and he will have the rest to walk around in. He was vocal for about a minute when I first got back home, but after that he quieted down and ate about 10 minutes later.

This afternoon Goose was very good, very quiet, didn’t make a peep of sound. I forgot to record a majority of the day. Bummer.

Reflections on the day- Goose seemed much more comfortable in his kiddy pool than he did in the box. He got up and flapped around stretching his wings and legs and such. I also like that he is right in the mix of things downstairs while in it without the plastic walls. He was silent after this morning short of a random scream or two if something scared him. Overall screaming seems greatly improved. His feathers are really starting to come in as well as his tail feathers which now have about a cm of brown feather coming out. He also stood a lot today, at least 3x as much as the past few days.

[Shortwingn]

Hi Noah,
One other thing I do is keep a small spray bottle(the kind for plant misting). When its hot it is good relife and keeps the mess off the bird. I give them a spray down when nessary. Helps get the pin caseing soft for eaiser preening as well.

[Falcon Boy]

I will do that from now on, thanks for the tip!

[everetkhorton]

Noah: 9:30 Did you party all night ? [smilie=icon_pidu.gif]

[Falcon Boy]

The power blurped over night, woke up to my alarm clock blinking 3:30 LOL

[chamokane]

Hi Noah,
One other thing I do is keep a small spray bottle(the kind for plant misting). When its hot it is good relife and keeps the mess off the bird. I give them a spray down when nessary. Helps get the pin caseing soft for eaiser preening as well.

I'll second the spray bottle suggestion. It's good to get the bird used to it while he is small. Then, anytime he gets hot, while traveling or anytime, you can just spray him down. You can spray some water into his mouth to give him a drink too. Keeping a bird well hydrated can do wonders for his attitude. A lot of birds will learn to reach out toward the bottle with their beaks if they are thirsty. When my Peregrine sees me coming with the spray bottle, she hops down off the perch and comes toward me as far as her leash will allow and she starts ducking her tail as if she were taking a bath. When she feels like she is wet enough, she hops back up on her perch. A good soaking can calm a bird down if it gets worked up over something too.

When you introduce the spray bottle, I'd stand back and just lightly mist him a couple of times so you don't scare him with it. Some birds love the spray right away and some need to get used to it more gradually.

I think that a spray bottle should be thought of as an important piece of falconry gear.

[Falcon Boy]

Day 27-

831am- Woke up to find Goose preening, and he started vocalizing when he realized I was awake. I got his food ready and put it in his kiddy pool, then put him in. He ate after about 2 minutes and then vocalized for about 15 minutes. He seems cranky this morning, not sure why.

1pm- Had Goose out front for about an hour and a half laying about 15ft from the dogs. He didn’t mind the cars 40yards away and didn’t mind the dogs, just kind of hung out. I sprayed some water over his head while cleaning his tank so he’d get a little wet and start preening. I brought him inside about 1pm and he got vocal like he usually does when I move his nest [he doesn’t like the whole world moving without the legs moving thing] and about 105pm he ate a fair bit of fresh quail. After that he was quiet, preened a tad, and went to sleep.

1030pm- WHAT A DAY we’ve had. Around 2pm we went to a fellow falconer’s house until around 4pm. He did pretty well after the first 2-3minutes, he just fell asleep. Once I got back I had to go straight to work. Goose was left in the middle room where he could see the family in the kitchen/living room and running up and down the stairs.

I got home to a bird screaming at me as soon as I opened the door. He had eaten all his quail I left him [about 2 crops, it was a whole quail] and was hungry again. I quickly defrosted some food and gave it to him. He DEFINATLY knows what the paper plate blocker means. I am not sure if he knows I supply the food behind the blocker, but he knows when that blocker comes out food will be appearing. Not sure what to do about that other than to change blockers [again]. If he knows I provide food [which could be the case even though he’s never seen me feed him] I am thinking about having someone else feed him, thus creating a food bond with them. That way when I move I will have a silent bird because he will never see them again. Any thoughts?

Reflections on the day- Well, today was pretty much crap. Lots of screaming, interrupted by moments of goodness. I think Goose knows I provide the food, which has created a scream every time I walk by and he is a bit hungry. It’s annoying to say the least. I am not sure how he figured it out since I always use a blocker. I guess it’s the Gyr’s intelligence coming into play, or someone else is feeding him while I’m at work [although I really doubt it by how his food bowl was empty]. Anyone have an opinion on having someone else feed him so that he creates a food bond with them? It will create short term screaming, but if he screams at them only, he won’t be screaming once I move because they will be half a continent away. What’s your all’s opinions?

Growth wise, he stood a lot today, and I finally got a picture of it this evening. His feet are getting BIG, so much for the worry about them! Feathers keep getting longer, as per usual.



size comparison for old pics, this is him now in same nest box


Standing and hungry!


Feathers

[Shortwingn]

I got home to a bird screaming at me as soon as I opened the door. He had eaten all his quail I left him [about 2 crops, it was a whole quail] and was hungry again.

Sounds like there might be a food association going on. Try leaving more food.

I quickly defrosted some food and gave it to him. He DEFINATLY knows what the paper plate blocker means. I am not sure if he knows I supply the food behind the blocker, but he knows when that blocker comes out food will be appearing. Not sure what to do about that other than to change blockers [again].

This is why I feed the imprint from the lure. Right from day one they know what the lure means.... something to eat. If they make a food association with it so what? Later in life I stop garnishing the lure, have them come to the lure and call them up to the fist.

If he knows I provide food [which could be the case even though he’s never seen me feed him] I am thinking about having someone else feed him, thus creating a food bond with them. That way when I move I will have a silent bird because he will never see them again. Any thoughts?

This works wonders if you can find a mindful and willing falconer. Its also kind of a cop out. Just learn how to work through it. With each imprint you will get better. In a few years you will be able to turn out a no screaming, no footing, no mantling, game catching monster.

Reflections on the day- Well, today was pretty much crap. Lots of screaming, interrupted by moments of goodness. I think Goose knows I provide the food,

Yes, they all know. One reason I bring the imprint to the food. They know I bring them to food and later bring them to game.

which has created a scream every time I walk by and he is a bit hungry. It’s annoying to say the least.

Pack more food into him. Its a good time to make him run to the lure.

I am not sure how he figured it out since I always use a blocker. I guess it’s the Gyr’s intelligence coming into play, or someone else is feeding him while I’m at work [although I really doubt it by how his food bowl was empty].

A bit of a touchie subject. Let me just say I have been screwed by family and girl friends in the past. So have a few apprentices. Keep a sharp eye out and dont over react when you catch them. LoL

Anyone have an opinion on having someone else feed him so that he creates a food bond with them? It will create short term screaming, but if he screams at them only, he won’t be screaming once I move because they will be half a continent away. What’s your all’s opinions?

Why would you buy a corvette and have a friend drive it? Maybe if you both got one and traded back and fourth? But would you trust your friend not to eat and smoke in yours. Must be a good friend.

I dont think I have ever raised two imprints exactly alike. They just dont all seem to fit into one cookie cutter. Adjust your game plan as nessary. Just dont lose track of the final destination.

[Shortwingn]

How do you do that neat box thing anyhow?

[Falcon Boy]

Erik,
Good points made, thanks for the post. I dont understand the nest box question though? I dont understand what you're asking. [smilie=dontknow.gif]

I will start bringing him to the food as much as my work schedule allows now, and i'll start to feed off the lure again [still searching for a big area without ants....]

[Falcon Boy]

Day 28-

4pm- It has been a really good day so far. Goose has been silent a majority of the day, including most of the hour and a half or two hours we were outside. He is standing more and more today. He also ate two of his meals off the lure [will try and do that from now on]. Figures right as I finish saying he has been quiet he wakes up and starts screaming, go figure.

Goose was vocal on and off for about half an hour. I took him outside and carried him around for about 45min-1hr while my step-dad was mowing. I carried around his nest box with him sitting in it for the record [I know someone would say they don’t like to be handled].

10pm- Goose ate a full crop around 930pm. Eating today was weird, he didn’t eat huge meals, just little bits less than usual in frequency and then had one big crop tonight. Today he ate 2 quail, the back of a squirrel, part of a rat, and a few chicks. Not bad for a little guy!

Reflections on the day- Goose can really down some food. Although he didn’t eat as big of meals as frequently as yesterday, he still went through the food mentioned above. Looks like I should start raising quail if I can pull the funds together for it, because at this rate I will be out of food in a few weeks.

Goose started standing a lot today and walking around a lot better. Today I saw him stand for up to 10 minutes straight. Looks like it’s almost time to stand on the fist, he’s just got to get more comfortable on the ground first. I think I am going to wait until he stands all the time instead of sitting for that though.

In terms of vocalizations, today was 10 times better than yesterday but still not perfect. Definitely a marked improvement though. Yesterday must have just been a combo of boredom/hunger/fear.

Socialization wise, I walked him around in his nest box today around the yard, near the lawn mower while my step-dad was mowing, near the road, and near the train tracks and dogs. Nothing seemed to bug him too much. He’d look for half a second then go back to looking around.

He also ate most his meals off the lure

[wesleyc6]

Wow, Goose's head is a lot different than my bird's head is. He is packing away a lot of food too!!!! Mine ate a couple of rats yesterday, but one was really small and one was medium. He ate some quail too. I processed 6 quail at one time and he hasn't eaten them all yet. Utah is walking around a pretty good bit too.

[Falcon Boy]

Day 29-

130pm- I had to work from 7-1pm today but I left him a huge plate of food, of which half was gone. I left him in the main room of the house as usual in his kiddy pool so he could see lots of people walk by. We had a family get together with at least 30 people + 30 screaming kids in attendance so I brought Goose outside where most of the people were and put his nest box on the ground. He immediately jumped out and started running and hopping towards people kakking! It was really funny, he’d run to one person flapping and hopping [first time for that btw] and then kak at them. Then he’d run to another person and kak. Then he’d run over to me and lay down on my foot. He was quite funny and didn’t really mind the people or dogs at all.

He was cooperative throughout the night, gobbling down food like a fiend as his usual and uttering the occasional kak. Around 630pm I brought his nest box upstairs and sat it on my lap while I was on the computer and playing video games. He didn’t mind at all, and fell asleep with his head against my chest.

One thing that kind of worries me is he has been breathing with his mouth open a bit today/yesterday. Most times it is after one of his running/flapping fests but it still makes me paranoid of asper. His pool is cleaned daily so I don’t see how there could be mold in it though. Probably just from him flapping around and getting hot. I will keep an eye on it though just in case. Probably just another case of me being paranoid *G*.

All in all, a good day with good socialization, very little screaming, and no food begging.

[Falcon Boy]

Wow, Goose's head is a lot different than my bird's head is. He is packing away a lot of food too!!!! Mine ate a couple of rats yesterday, but one was really small and one was medium. He ate some quail too. I processed 6 quail at one time and he hasn't eaten them all yet. Utah is walking around a pretty good bit too.

Utah's head reminds me of a kbird's in general shape, very rounded as compared to goose's somewhat triangular shape

[Jack]

When young falcons scream it in not always about food. If you continue to feed him in individual meals you will see him screaming and acting silly when he gets hungry and thinks you are about to feed him. The screaming when he is full is mostly due to fear of something, or resentment of it. Dog, something noisy, yourself when he first sees you for the day. They do not like being carried as young birds, and they like familiar surroundings until they fledge. They do not always outwardly show their concern of certain things, but they will scream.
I have a 5 year old gyr/prairie tiercel. He was raised in a tank I think, and fed individual meals. He was so terrible the owner gave him away. He was so terrible that new owner gave him to me. I have had him for 2 years now. He is ok as a hunting bird, but it is very difficult for me to tolerate his behavior at times. I can not feed him on my fist. Won't happen. As soon as I give him anything at all he tries to dive off the fist and will hang upside down and scream until my nose bleeds. I can reach for him in an effort to put him back on the glove and he will foot me really bad. And if I do manage to get him on the fist he just dives off again. He will hang there and scream for hours. I can give him the lure or a piece of meat and he would try to fly off with it. He never stopped screaming. Even with a full crop he did that. I have spent the entire last 2 years in an effort to stop this behavior. I have achieved success in being able to feed him on the fist, and I can stand over him on the lure now, but he still screams in anticipation of food. Still when I am about to slip him I have to wrestle the hood off of him. He hoods well, but when the hood braces are struck he will start screaming and fighting me, wanting the hood off and yet I have to chase him about on my fist. I am hoping to eventually get this out of him, but I am not sure it will happen. I know how it got started though, and he did not have to turn out that way. I can not give this bird away. And if I could, he would be dead inside a year I think. Someone would ring his neck. I have worked him out of most of his real nasty habits, but with a new falconer he would go right back to the way he was when I got him.

Jack

[Falcon Boy]

i have been leaving food 24/7, but a few times i did not leave enough while i went to work. I think i got it down now though [resorted to leaving enough to feed a small army].

Sounds like you got your hands full with that gyr/prairie. What weight does he fly at? I've never heard a weight off one of them.

[`Chris L.]

I know how it got started though, and he did not have to turn out that way..

Jack

Jack, What do you think caused this behavior in him? Great post and thank you for sharing that.

[everetkhorton]

Jack: I had a hand me down prairie falcon. What a mistake, it was my first falcon. If you EVER take a hand me down bird, do a lot of talking to the owner and find out how he did things. Feeding, flying, hunting. manning any thing and every thing. JMO

[Jack]

Chris and EV. Chase, my gyr/prairie tiercel came to me with all sorts of problems, but I knew about them going in. It took bringing him down to about 560 grams, or around 20 ounces just to get him to sit on my fist. I had him perched on a block right next to me in the den all the time. I carried him around and placed him on perches everywhere I went. I tried to get him to feed from my fist as a way of making a peace treaty with him, but he just got worse when food was present. I have spent 2 whole years working on him. Today he will fly at 680 grams, or around 24 ounces. That is a full 4 ounces and he never bates away from me now. Like today. He has to weight at least 26 ounces right now, but when I go into the mews to feed him, rather than bate off the walls trying to get as far away from me as he could, He just comes right to me and takes the food right out of my hand without a problem. Just being consistant is what it takes. And you have to figure out what causes a problem before you can solve it.
Here is what caused his problems. The guy did not want the bird associating him with food at all, so he never stayed in the same room when the bird was fed. And he fed him individual meals. The bird would take a heavy crop when he did eat, and if you showed up while he ate he would start screaming and try to get away with it. You had best not even think of sticking a hand near or he would leave the food and fight the hand by grabbing it and biting. He Would then resent the presents of the falconer once fed and would scream to vent his rage. He would bate away because he did not want to be touched. Feeding had become a private and personal thing. He eventually learned where food comes from and when he started to get hungry he would become vocal, but would still resent his presents because it was a time associated with feeding. The boy created a monster just as if he intended to do so. When the second guy got him, he had absolutely no idea about what could have been wrong. He talked to the original owner, but did not ask the right questions. The first guy had flown him at about 25 ounces, which was a bit too high in the first place. So I knew he would fly around 24 ounces if I could just get him past the seeming hatred he had for me. The second guy brought him down to 22 ounces and he would just fly off. He spent way too much time tracking him down. Then he gave up and gave him to me. He was talking about putting him down, but I took him. I fought the little fool unitl I decided that if I killed him it would be no great loss. So I started cutting him on down until he had a complete attitude change. I flew him that way for a season and he still did not do well. Then he became too weak to really fly well at all. He sat more than anything else. Once he crashed I started bringing him back up slowly. He had become like a kitten by that time. I slowly brought him on up and flew him as he came up. The weight gain did not seem to make much difference in his behavior until he hit the 24 ounce mark. He does not bate away from me at this weight, and at feeding time, or hunting time, he actually bates toward me. He does not scream like he did. But he still is vocal when I try to take the hood off. I have to wrestle him around to strike the braces unless I do it before I pick him up. I get so aggrevated I sometimes want to must pull the hood off without striking the braces. Once off he shuts up and flys. He flys really high too. He still has problems, but I am slowly ironing them out. I am hoping that eventually he will make me a pretty decent duck hawk. I have only manage 7 ducks over a 2 year period with him, but next season I fully expect a really good season.

Jack

[`Chris L.]

Jack,
great post, Man he was a mess when you received him for sure. How does he do during the molt.. does he revert back when his weight is high right now? Or have you noticed some improvements even at a higher weight?

[Falcon Boy]

Day 30-

Not a whole lot to note today as I forgot to record the log as the day went on. This morning he was only vocal for about 2-3 minutes in the morning, and it was not constant. Definite improvement in that area! Throughout the day he was vocal on and off, mostly when he got bored. No food screaming what-so-ever because food was available 24/7 and he did not have an empty dish at any point.

His feeding was odd today; he took a few meals off the lure and a few off the dish. He ate around 815am and then not again until 3pm. Then he took a full crop, and also topped it off at 4pm and 5pm. In that time though he once again really shoveled down some food. Tomorrow I’ll try and get a weight on him if I remember, he’s getting huge!







Goose playing battlefield 2, staring down the map trying to pick a sniper spot

[`Chris L.]

Noah,
he is growing quick!!!. I loved the video of him watching the game.. he looked intense.. lol.

[Falcon Boy]

Noah,
he is growing quick!!!. I loved the video of him watching the game.. he looked intense.. lol.

You shoulda seen him once it booted up, i'd fly the helo and everytime i'd pass a plane or another helo he'd scream LOL. I'll try and get it on video tonight if i play [which i probably will... bf2 is arguably the best game ever [smilie=icon_thumright.gif] ]

[outhawkn]

BTW Noah, I got to tell you. This diary your doing. Is a gutsy thing to do. As many birds as I have imprinted in my life, I would not put it out there for everyone to see. So no matter how the imprint job turns out( and I hope well) you have earned my respect!
Bill